Identifying the Problems With Law Schools

That’s the verdict from a group of about 20 lawyers, judges and law professors who say law schools must rein in costs and retool academic programs to provide more practical training if they want to head off a growing crisis in legal education.

The findings, from a draft report set to be released Friday by the American Bar Association Task Force on the Future of Legal Education, reflect a continuing debate about the utility—and expense—of law school. Enrollment has plunged in recent years amid a tough job market, and many recent law graduates remain mired in debt and unable to find work.

The draft report said the current system of financing legal education must be “re-engineered.” Many law schools raise tuition, it said, then use merit scholarships to discount those costs for students with higher grades and test scores, whose academic credentials can help boost law schools in annual rankings.

“Students whose credentials are the weakest incur large debt in order to sustain the school budget and enable higher-credentialed students to attend at little cost . . .

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